Vatican Condemns Halloween, Deems It 'Anti-Christian'

The Vatican has warned parents that Halloween is an anti-Christian pagan holiday of "terror, fear and death."

An article published in the Vatican's official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano says "Halloween has an undercurrent of occultism and is absolutely anti-Christian."

Parents should "be aware of this and try to direct the meaning of the feast towards wholesomeness and beauty rather than terror, fear and death," said Father Canals, a member of a Spanish commission on church rites.

The Catholic Church has increasingly gone against Halloween's popularity in recent years. Last year, a newspaper controlled by Italian bishops called for a boycott of the goulish holiday, saying it was a "dangerous celebration of horror."

Only recently have Italian and British children started dressing up in costumes, playing trick or treat on their neighbors or made lanterns out of hollowed-out pumpkins, the Telegraph reports.

The October 31 holiday falls before the Roman Catholic festival, All Saints' Day.